Believing they could promote their joke currency, one of the two entered his enclosure in costume.
The fast-paced internet forgets most trends and celebrities after just a few weeks – but I’m sure Punch, the little monkey from the zoo in Ichikawa, still lives on in all our hearts.
That is exactly what two influencers apparently wanted to exploit in order to promote their cryptocurrency. What they actually did, however, likely did their joke currency more harm than good.
The Viral Orphan Monkey
Punch became internet-famous after being rejected by both his mother and the other monkeys in his enclosure. The only friend the animal – named after Monkey Punch, the manga artist behind Lupin III – had was a plush orangutan, which the internet soon dubbed Oran-Mama. Millions of users followed the baby monkey’s journey as he gradually managed to befriend his enclosure mates until he was eventually integrated into the group.
As with every internet trend, companies and influencers naturally tried to use the hype around the animal for themselves. IKEA Japan CEO Petra Fare, for example, gifted Punch and his friends a lifetime supply of plush toys. In the end, everyone benefited: the animals got toys, the zoo was relieved, and IKEA was able to score a few points on its karma account.
Two American influencers have now shown how to achieve the exact opposite. They wanted to use the attention around Punch – which had actually already died down quite a bit – as a marketing tool for their cryptocurrency.
Influencers Break Into Monkey Enclosure
One of the two lowered his costumed colleague into the monkeys’ enclosure, filmed the stunt, and hoped to generate a viral clip that would draw investors’ attention to their coin.
The stunt, which was equally stupid and dangerous for both humans and animals, was fortunately stopped quickly. Zookeepers swiftly escorted the costumed influencer out of the enclosure, where he, just like his partner, was handed over to the police.
Police and zoo officials emphasized that nobody was injured during the incident. However, such a stressful moment could cause psychological problems for the monkeys and, in the worst case, make them lose trust in their keepers and refuse to eat the food brought to them.
The Internet Makes Their Cryptocurrency Fail
The fact that the whole thing would be received in anything but a positive way may well have been something the two crypto bros were willing to accept, possibly acting according to the principle of “all publicity is good publicity.” But the tone online seems clear: most users are explicitly speaking out against the meme coin the two were trying to establish. And a cryptocurrency that people deliberately avoid is ultimately worth nothing – although it was obvious from the start that this was never about building a serious coin, but simply about making quick money by exploiting the brief attention around the currency, selling it off to gullible investors, and jumping ship before it became worthless again.
Instead, many users online are now hoping that Japan will take appropriately strict action against the two influencers, one of whom is even a somewhat well-known singer.
While the Japanese justice system often avoids convicting international celebrities in order to steer clear of potential criticism, for example from the United States, many Americans are currently also trying to position themselves firmly against the two and make it clear that they absolutely do not tolerate this behavior either – and that they would like to see a harsh but fair punishment for the two troublemakers.
The internet may forget quickly, but angry monkey fans certainly do not.